Murder Mubarak: Social Satire Meets Ensemble Whodunnit

A murder of the gym trainer Leo at a posh Delhi club opens a can of worms. Everyone is a suspect where the dark secrets of Delhi High Society Club patrons are at stake. A charming outsider ACP Bhavani Singh investigates the case in Agastha Christie’s desi Poirot style.

The best part of the movie is the ensemble cast and loyalty to Anuja Chauhan’s brilliant writing and class satire.

Pankaj Tripathi is back in action and is effective – just another day for him at the office. Sanjay Kapoor is brilliant and continues his Merry Christmas form as a royal Rannvijay Singh – tipping 20 rupees but packing food to cover his dilapidated ruined status. Karisma Kapoor is equally magical as a former diva and B-grade movie star of C-grade movies. Vijay Varma and Dimple Kapadia are not given due justice and feel wasted – their arc should have been stronger. Sara Ali Khan tries up to keep things moving but she has a long way to go. A lot more characters like Tisca Chopra add colour to the proceedings though in a very fleeting manner.

The Delhi class divide is beautifully portrayed. “Poor people should die young!” announces Tisca Chopra or the fact that two trainers from Arunachal and Karnataka are called twins. Smart writing exists – ACP Bhavani says “It’s easy to be branded anti-national these days!”

The movie sticks to its genre and the secretive layers get unveiled gradually to keep us hooked. Though the movie could have done with sharper editing and crisper execution.

This is no ‘Knives Out’ nor Homi’s own ‘Being Cyrus!’

Watch it once for Pankaj Tripathi and Idiosyncrasies of Delhi Gentry!